The present invention relates to a mechanical oscillator for non-sinusoidal, preferably triangular movements generated by harmonic synthesis of individual sine oscillations.
It is known to achieve triangular oscillations via the intermediate step of trapezoidal oscillations thereby, that one provides an arrangement executing sinusoidal oscillations and from the oscillations executed by this arrangement allows at any time only the oscillation components to come to effect, which are far-reachingly similar to the desired triangular oscillation, while one lets the remaining parts of the sine movement be swamped in dead times (switching off of the evaluating receiver). The disadvantage of this method resides in the relatively large sum of dead times, during which the apparatus is not available according to operation.
It is further known to split up arbitrary one-dimensional oscillations mathematically by Fourier analysis into defined sine oscillation. This splitting up can be accomplished mechanically or electronically by harmonic analyzers.
Reversal of the harmonic analysis permits the synthesis of a desired oscillation movement from computed values of sine movements. For this, there are known arrangements, which generate individually the required fundamental oscillations and overtones, which are then put together by a mechanical, electrical or optical coupling into the desired oscillation movement.
The oscillators employed in these arrangements are excited into forced oscillations with defined phase and amplitude position, at all events previously no particular consideration being given to the position of the resonance point.
In the case of devices of this kind, which are thought of as demonstration machines and which operate apart from the resonance frequency, a not inconsiderable energy consumption occurs, which makes impossible their application for technical purposes, in which only little energy is available (for example in the case of space travel).
Beyond this, in the case of rotating systems for the generation of a harmonic synthesis there exists as a further disadvantage the maintenance problem of bearings, in particular then, when the apparatus is to operate in a vacuum. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the aforedescribed disadvantages.